Latest news from the Work Environment Committee at SUND

The Faculty Work Environment Committee (FAMU) at SDU is responsible for ensuring a healthy and safe work environment for employees. Below is a brief overview of the key points from the meeting on 25 March 2025.

Discussions

Media handling and research communication
At the Department of Clinical Research, early-career researchers have raised concerns about how to deal with media criticism as a researcher. It was proposed—and agreed—that the Head of Press from the Rector’s Office be invited to the next meeting. In addition, it was mentioned that the seven principles for good research communication could be included as an appendix.

Focus areas from the WPA – leadership and psychosocial work environment
FAMU discussed recurring themes from the workplace assessment (WPA) process across the faculty. Two issues stood out:

• The psychosocial work environment
• Visible and accessible leadership

Several members pointed to the need for clear descriptions of mandates and better communication regarding leadership roles. There were suggestions to organise a workshop under the auspices of the Liaison Committee (SU), with a focus on the roles of middle managers and coordinators. Concerns were also raised about the wellbeing of assistant professors and stress among staff in short-term positions.

The committee agreed that the following two focus areas should be prioritised at faculty level:

• Leadership
• Working conditions for early-career researchers

Briefings

WPA status at the departments
Short status updates were provided from several departments. Many are currently working on action plans, with a submission deadline of 30 April 2025. At the Department of Molecular Medicine (IMM), the process has only just begun, while at the Faculty Secretariat, changes have been observed in the nature of long-term sick leave cases.

Emergency preparedness for violent incidents
Merete Munk (MM) presented new initiatives from the Faculty Secretariat regarding evacuation procedures and handling of violent incidents. It was proposed that the matter be escalated to the Main Liaison Committee/Occupational Health and Safety Committee (HSU/HOAMU), which MM will follow up on in collaboration with SDU SAFE and Technical Services.

Next steps

• The Head of Press from the Rector’s Office will be invited to the next meeting.
• The two focus areas—leadership and early-career researchers—will be integrated into future occupational health and safety efforts.
• MM will pursue having the issue of emergency preparedness raised at university level.

Want to know more? Read the full minutes from the FAMU meeting on 25 March here. (Only available in Danish)